Rick McKinley's This Beautiful Mess is just the book I didn't know I was looking for. What does a life of Kingdom living look like as lived out daily in our personal journey and with other believers? McKinley gives profound insight not only into how to live out a Kingdom-focused life, but raises some reasons as to why we have fallen short and are content to repeatedly do so.
Jesus said, 'Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.' He invited His followers to not just dream of the eternal hereafter, but to embrace what God, through His Holy Spirit is already doing in the here and now.
Drawing from examples of his faith community, Imago Dei, in Portland, Oregon, and presenting challenging references to other authors I hold dear (like Shane Claiborne and Randy Alcorn), McKinley's book has compelled me to no longer just ask the tough questions about how to think outside the box, but to actively look for how to participate with God in bringing His Kingdom to those who seek Him.
While the message may seem simple, I often found myself limited to reading a few pages at a time in order to digest and process through McKinley's writing. That's when I know a book has the fingerprints of God upon it.
If, like me, you are no longer content with the "American Dream" and you long for a life of Kingdom living...sit down (preferably with other Kingdom seekers), crack open your Bible, and using this book and the discussion questions as a guide, prayerfully allow the Holy Spirit to begin painting the picture of how you can participate in living out His Kingdom "on earth as it is in Heaven."
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